The higher the intensity of the color (red with the highest intensity; blue, the lowest), the higher the risk of that area from becoming a desert.
What is the Issue?
Desertification is the degrading of land, caused by numerous factors, most notably variations in climate human-environmental interaction. Desertification happens due to careless use of natural green belts and erosion. Desertification is one of the world’s biggest environmental problems. Many inhabitants of drylands that live in developing countries suffer from this natural phenomenon. Even some fully developed nations suffer from desertification and erosion, such as China and its nearby countries. Many consequences follow desertification, most notably drought and erosion of sand. Desertification is a global issue, affecting countries all around the world.
A diagram of desertification risk levels in areas of Africa.
Desertification in Sahel
Specifically, the Sahel of Africa is afected by Desertification. This is a serious issue to the people of Sahel because it can affect their agricultural land and plant life. Niger, a country in the Sahel, is being directly threatened by the bordering Sahara desert. Eroded soil is being carried over to Niger and causing desertification in Niger. Normally, this would be prevented due to the natural green belts, or strips of plant life, but the misuse of these areas is causing the green belt areas to not be able to stop the desertification. Therefore, the misuse of these areas of land is causing harm to the people of Sahel and their agriculture.
The thick, green line across the Sahel represents the Green Great Wall (GGW), a belt of plant life that is used to prevent desertification in the Sahel.
Solutions to the Issue
Experts came up with a few solutions to this desertification problem in Sahel: creating green lines and preventing the harm of green lines. These green lines, or areas of perennial, imperishable plants, block erosion from occurring and also helps block incoming sandstorms from the nearby Sahara. The abundant planting of these green lines would help prevent desertification, but they also must be taken care of extensively or they could disappear. Humans must do a good job of creating and maintaining plant life to prevent desertification. Currently, The Green Great Wall project (GGW) is in effect. A 15 kilometer wide band is to be created to stretch across 11 different countries across the southern border of the Sahel. This green belt across the country would help the restoration of water in lakes and prevent erosion. As of February 2011, this project has earned financial support of up to $3 billion. If this project came to full effect, then many of the desertification issues in Sahel would be solved.
As for the issue with the Nigerian Delta, it involves the issue of oil and how it is affecting so many factors such as export, oil price, income, people’s lives, and many more. However, it’s not just Nigeria that experiences issues involving oil. Other nations that produce oil like Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Iraq, and others have experienced similar problems as well. Due to the fact that so many nations in the world depend on nations that produce oil, such problems are occurring or have occurred. Niger is the sixth leading oil exporter in the world and the nation is very dependent on oil export and the profit that results from it. The same goes for other nations such as Saudi Arabia. They remain rich due to their oil export and largely depend on it to sustain the nation. Oil is their main source that keeps them in good position within the world. Despite all the positives that seems to come due to oil, there are a lot more negatives. One of the negatives is corruption. When oil price fluctuates or decreases, the income from oil export is greatly impacted which can cause the oil producing nation to be in huge debts. Being in debt then affects the lives of the citizens which lead them to take illegal actions to support themselves while the nation undergoes a difficult time period. Also, as the issue gets worse over time, oil spills occur frequently but the spill is not thoroughly taken care of which causes a lot of environmental problems in many ways. These are the general problems that happen with many of the nations that produce oil as their primary sources including Nigeria.
Rich oil deposits have been found in the nations that produce oil so the government and oil companies have often damaged the land where the oil is found in order to retrieve them for their profits and benefits. This caused the land to be quite damaged so the people living in the are have been affected as well. Their environment affected by oil is polluted and not managed efficiently. The amount of oil being produced is highly charged by the nation in order to gain great profits and this is mostly done by the government and oil companies out of greed. For example, Nigeria became one of the richest countries in Africa due to high oil price so the government borrowed a lot of money for their uses counting on the fact that their high oil price will be able to pay off the borrowed money. However, the oil price started to fluctuate and eventually decrease which caused Nigeria to be in great debts in millions to numerous nations that brought them to a period of corruption and poverty. After Nigeria came to be in debt, mismanagement and poor planning were known to be the primary reasons for the oil dilemma. But dilemmas like this also took place in other nations that depend on oil for support like Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and etc. Continuing with the oil disaster there were over four thousand oil spills and and the clean up process after the spill was slow or in the worst case, did not take place at all. As the clean up process did not take place, more corruptions started to happen frequently. One of them was fire which took place often which caused acid rain leading many people to suffer and die from respiratory diseases. However, still no actions were done at all to prevent the measures. Instead of attempting to bring the good condition back, corrupt government officials and citizens drained fuel from the pipelines to sell them to gain money since their oil drilling was in no condition to function well. This happens very frequently so the management of oil production and export is crucial to be well kept. So overall, the Nigerian Delta needs improvements and the people in control needs to take the right actions.
Solution:
1. Oil spill clean up: not an easy task, should be avoided at all cost
2. Relaying the pipelines far deeper into the ground
3. Skimming is the most well known method to clean up oil spills by using skimming equipment with filtering system,
4. Dispersants are chemicals that break down the tension that keep oil and water separated. When oil is sprayed with a dispersant, the oil collects in smaller droplets and sinks. This allows for greater natural breakdown.
5. Biological helpers is to release biological agents into the water to help promote breakdown. Fertilizing agents such as nitrogen and phosphorus promote in the water. This helps oil to disperse and break down naturally.
Sources
"Nigeria and Oil — Global Issues." Global Issues : Social, Political, Economic and Environmental Issues That Affect Us All — Global Issues. Web. 02 May 2011. <http://www.globalissues.org/article/86/nigeria-and-oil>.
"Nigeria to Offer Oil Money Back to Delta People: Report - FRANCE 24." International Breaking News and Headlines - FRANCE 24. Web. 02 May 2011. <http://www.france24.com/en/node/4905086>. The Aswan Dam The Aswan Dam was first completed in 1902. To control the flood waters and to harness the hydroelectric power, the Egyptian Government commissioned the construction of the Aswan Dam. The Nile River was highly uncontrollable and unpredictable and to prevent such randomness, the Egyptian Government built the Aswan Dam, which will control the flood. The creation of the Aswan Dam created an artificial river, Lake Nasser. When constructing a dam, certain benefits in economy, natural resources, and tourism could follow; however, some unanticipated impacts environmentally and socially affected the Egyptian society after 20th century. Most dams affect the human-environmental interaction. For
The Aswan Dam and the artificially created Lake Nasser
example, the soil erosion problem lowers the riverbed, threatening vegetation and river wildlife. Dams are supposed to prevent floods, but the annual flooding provides nutrient for the wildlife. Without the flood, the ecosystem will not be able to go through the various lifecycle stages. Other problems regarding human-environment interaction will be the relocation of the people. When the Three Gorges Dam was built, a massive population living in the area had to resettle in a different location, making many people homeless and poor. The flooding and the construction forced the people out of the dam area. Therefore, dams could provide different benefits to some people, but may cause grief and poverty to others. Now, let’s take a look into the situation in the Aswan Dam.
The major problems in the Aswan Dam
1. Resettlement: The Lake Nasser flooded the area were more than 100,000 people were living in. The government couldn’t support the housing, education, and public facility for all the Nubians and the Egyptians that were being resettled. The people had to evacuate the area because of flooding and of construction. Although the Aswan Dam brought benefits in natural resources and economy, many Nubian and Egyptian people had to leave theire their culture and home. 2. Loss of soil fertility: After the construction of the Aswan Dam, the nutrient value that is required to reach the yields achieved in Egypt’s irrigation does not meet the standard. The irrigation that the Aswan Dam created pulled up the salt that was stored inside the Earth, therefore, causing the soil fertility to decrease. Then, the poor sediments spread by the Nile floods occurred near the Nile River. The soils that lack the fertility are being spread to the rest of the area in Egypt, which affected the agriculture of Egypt.
Shows the impact of the Aswan Dam to the agriculture of the Nile River area
3. Coastal erosion: The Aswan Dam caused erosion, which has been caused because the sediments behind the Aswan Dam wasn’t trapped. The Dam, eventually, accelerated the coastal erosion, which made the Egyptian government spend more money on the coastal protection.
Solutions for fixing the problems of The Aswan Dam: 1. A more practical and approachable relocation of the Nubian and Egyptian people: This will be possible when there is more government funding. Maybe, the benefits of The Aswan Dam can be freely given to the people affected by the Aswan Dam. However, the cultural loss that these people had to go through is very unrecoverable. Psychological treatment and monetary support can help. Just like how the Japanese people were relocated after the Pearl Harbor incident, these people were resettled. The Japanese people received monetary support after their court case, Korematsu v. US. The people of Egypt and Nubia could may receive the monetary support.
2. Enrich the soil near the Aswan Dam: Many of the environmental impact caused by the Aswan Dam was caused by the loss of fertility in soil. By controlling the year-long irrigation caused by the Aswan Dam, the soil fertility level will increase. Also, manual enriching of the soil, by adding nutrient, may help increase the nutrient level in the soil. This will help out the farmers and also will decrease the price of the food products, thus, helping the Egyptian people in general.
3. To prevent coastal erosion: To trap the sediments behind the Aswan Dam, an additional support system can be built. This support system will allow the coastal area to be safe. Because the Egyptian government is keep spending money for coastal protection, the money isn't being spent wisely. Therefore, by creating a support system, more money will be saved and the coastal areas will be extra safe.
Desertification
Desertification is the degrading of land, caused by numerous factors, most notably variations in climate human-environmental interaction. Desertification happens due to careless use of natural green belts and erosion. Desertification is one of the world’s biggest environmental problems. Many inhabitants of drylands that live in developing countries suffer from this natural phenomenon. Even some fully developed nations suffer from desertification and erosion, such as China and its nearby countries. Many consequences follow desertification, most notably drought and erosion of sand. Desertification is a global issue, affecting countries all around the world.
Desertification in Sahel
Specifically, the Sahel of Africa is afected by Desertification. This is a serious issue to the people of Sahel because it can affect their agricultural land and plant life. Niger, a country in the Sahel, is being directly threatened by the bordering Sahara desert. Eroded soil is being carried over to Niger and causing desertification in Niger. Normally, this would be prevented due to the natural green belts, or strips of plant life, but the misuse of these areas is causing the green belt areas to not be able to stop the desertification. Therefore, the misuse of these areas of land is causing harm to the people of Sahel and their agriculture.
Solutions to the Issue
Experts came up with a few solutions to this desertification problem in Sahel: creating green lines and preventing the harm of green lines. These green lines, or areas of perennial, imperishable plants, block erosion from occurring and also helps block incoming sandstorms from the nearby Sahara. The abundant planting of these green lines would help prevent desertification, but they also must be taken care of extensively or they could disappear. Humans must do a good job of creating and maintaining plant life to prevent desertification. Currently, The Green Great Wall project (GGW) is in effect. A 15 kilometer wide band is to be created to stretch across 11 different countries across the southern border of the Sahel. This green belt across the country would help the restoration of water in lakes and prevent erosion. As of February 2011, this project has earned financial support of up to $3 billion. If this project came to full effect, then many of the desertification issues in Sahel would be solved.
Sources:
"Desertification - a Threat to the Sahel." Eden Foundation. Eden Foundation, Aug. 1994. Web. 01 May 2011. <http://www.eden-foundation.org/project/desertif.html>.
"Nyasa Stories / Lakeside Stories » Green Great Wall in the Sahel." Yh-studio. 8 Mar. 2011. Web. 01 May 2011. <http://yh-studio.com/wp/2011/03/08/green-great-wall-in-the-sahel/>.
Ritter, Michael E. "Desertification." University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The Physical Environment: an Introduction to Physical Geography, 1 Oct. 2007. Web. 01 May 2011. <http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/biogeography/desertification.html>.
"Table of Contents." United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. UNCCD, 19 Oct. 2007. Web. 01 May 2011. <http://www.unccd.int/convention/text/convention.php?annexNo=-1>.
Nigerian Delta
As for the issue with the Nigerian Delta, it involves the issue of oil and how it is affecting so many factors such as export, oil price, income, people’s lives, and many more. However, it’s not just Nigeria that experiences issues involving oil. Other nations that produce oil like Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Iraq, and others have experienced similar problems as well. Due to the fact that so many nations in the world depend on nations that produce oil, such problems are occurring or have occurred. Niger is the sixth leading oil exporter in the world and the nation is very dependent on oil export and the profit that results from it. The same goes for other nations such as Saudi Arabia. They remain rich due to their oil export and largely depend on it to sustain the nation. Oil is their main source that keeps them in good position within the world. Despite all the positives that seems to come due to oil, there are a lot more negatives. One of the negatives is corruption. When oil price fluctuates or decreases, the income from oil export is greatly impacted which can cause the oil producing nation to be in huge debts. Being in debt then affects the lives of the citizens which lead them to take illegal actions to support themselves while the nation undergoes a difficult time period. Also, as the issue gets worse over time, oil spills occur frequently but the spill is not thoroughly taken care of which causes a lot of environmental problems in many ways. These are the general problems that happen with many of the nations that produce oil as their primary sources including Nigeria.
Rich oil deposits have been found in the nations that produce oil so the government and oil companies have often damaged the land where the oil is found in order to retrieve them for their profits and benefits. This caused the land to be quite damaged so the people living in the are have been affected as well. Their environment affected by oil is polluted and not managed efficiently. The amount of oil being produced is highly charged by the nation in order to gain great profits and this is mostly done by the government and oil companies out of greed. For example, Nigeria became one of the richest countries in Africa due to high oil price so the government borrowed a lot of money for their uses counting on the fact that their high oil price will be able to pay off the borrowed money. However, the oil price started to fluctuate and eventually decrease which caused Nigeria to be in great debts in millions to numerous nations that brought them to a period of corruption and poverty. After Nigeria came to be in debt, mismanagement and poor planning were known to be the primary reasons for the oil dilemma. But dilemmas like this also took place in other nations that depend on oil for support like Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and etc. Continuing with the oil disaster there were over four thousand oil spills and and the clean up process after the spill was slow or in the worst case, did not take place at all. As the clean up process did not take place, more corruptions started to happen frequently. One of them was fire which took place often which caused acid rain leading many people to suffer and die from respiratory diseases. However, still no actions were done at all to prevent the measures. Instead of attempting to bring the good condition back, corrupt government officials and citizens drained fuel from the pipelines to sell them to gain money since their oil drilling was in no condition to function well. This happens very frequently so the management of oil production and export is crucial to be well kept. So overall, the Nigerian Delta needs improvements and the people in control needs to take the right actions.
Solution:
1. Oil spill clean up: not an easy task, should be avoided at all cost
2. Relaying the pipelines far deeper into the ground
3. Skimming is the most well known method to clean up oil spills by using skimming equipment with filtering system,
4. Dispersants are chemicals that break down the tension that keep oil and water separated. When oil is sprayed with a dispersant, the oil collects in smaller droplets and sinks. This allows for greater natural breakdown.
5. Biological helpers is to release biological agents into the water to help promote breakdown. Fertilizing agents such as nitrogen and phosphorus promote in the water. This helps oil to disperse and break down naturally.
Sources
"Nigeria and Oil — Global Issues." Global Issues : Social, Political, Economic and Environmental Issues That Affect Us All — Global Issues. Web. 02 May 2011. <http://www.globalissues.org/article/86/nigeria-and-oil>.
"Nigeria to Offer Oil Money Back to Delta People: Report - FRANCE 24." International Breaking News and Headlines - FRANCE 24. Web. 02 May 2011. <http://www.france24.com/en/node/4905086>.
The Aswan Dam
The Aswan Dam was first completed in 1902. To control the flood waters and to harness the hydroelectric power, the Egyptian Government commissioned the construction of the Aswan Dam. The Nile River was highly uncontrollable and unpredictable and to prevent such randomness, the Egyptian Government built the Aswan Dam, which will control the flood. The creation of the Aswan Dam created an artificial river, Lake Nasser.
When constructing a dam, certain benefits in economy, natural resources, and tourism could follow; however, some unanticipated impacts environmentally and socially affected the Egyptian society after 20th century. Most dams affect the human-environmental interaction. For
The major problems in the Aswan Dam
1. Resettlement: The Lake Nasser flooded the area were more than 100,000 peoplewere living in. The government couldn’t support the housing, education, and public facility for all the Nubians and the Egyptians that were being resettled. The people had to evacuate the area because of flooding and of construction. Although the Aswan Dam brought benefits in natural resources and economy, many Nubian and Egyptian people had to leave theire their culture and home.
2. Loss of soil fertility: After the construction of the Aswan Dam, the nutrient value that is required to reach the yields achieved in Egypt’s irrigation does not meet the standard. The irrigation that the Aswan Dam created pulled up the salt that was stored inside the Earth, therefore, causing the soil fertility to decrease. Then, the poor sediments spread by the Nile floods occurred near the Nile River. The soils that lack the fertility are being spread to the rest of the area in Egypt, which affected the agriculture of Egypt.
3. Coastal erosion: The Aswan Dam caused erosion, which has been caused because the sediments behind the Aswan Dam wasn’t trapped. The Dam, eventually, accelerated the coastal erosion, which made the Egyptian government spend more money on the coastal protection.
Solutions for fixing the problems of The Aswan Dam:
1. A more practical and approachable relocation of the Nubian and Egyptian people: This will be possible when there is more government funding. Maybe, the benefits of The Aswan Dam can be freely given to the people affected by the Aswan Dam. However, the cultural loss that these people had to go through is very unrecoverable. Psychological treatment and monetary support can help. Just like how the Japanese people were relocated after the Pearl Harbor incident, these people were resettled. The Japanese people received monetary support after their court case, Korematsu v. US. The people of Egypt and Nubia could may receive the monetary support.
2. Enrich the soil near the Aswan Dam: Many of the environmental impact caused by the Aswan Dam was caused by the loss of fertility in soil. By controlling the year-long irrigation caused by the Aswan Dam, the soil fertility level will increase. Also, manual enriching of the soil, by adding nutrient, may help increase the nutrient level in the soil. This will help out the farmers and also will decrease the price of the food products, thus, helping the Egyptian people in general.
3. To prevent coastal erosion: To trap the sediments behind the Aswan Dam, an additional support system can be built. This support system will allow the coastal area to be safe. Because the Egyptian government is keep spending money for coastal protection, the money isn't being spent wisely. Therefore, by creating a support system, more money will be saved and the coastal areas will be extra safe.
Citation
George, D.S. "The First Aswan Dam." The Building of the First Aswan Dam and the Inundation of Lower Nubia. Kelsey Museum, 08 Apr 2003. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.umich.edu/~kelseydb/Exhibits/AncientNubia/PhotoIntro.html>.
PBS, Online. "Wonders of the World databank."Building Big: Databank: Aswan High Dam. Wonders of the World, 08 May 2001. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/aswan_high.html>.
wise, Geek. "What is the Aswan Dam?." What is the Aswan Dam?. wiseGeek, 12 May 2003. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-aswan-dam.htm>.